Rosson Crow "The Happiest People on Earth" at Honor Fraser, Culver City, California

Rosson Crow "The Happiest People on Earth"

On view until June 15, 2017

Rosson Crow's latest paintings display both irony and danger. The desert scenes are beautiful; the cacti intermingle with man-made objects and structures that occupy the desert. However, despite the beauty, each work portrays a danger lurking within the landscape. A sign almost hidden in one painting informs the viewer that they are in a firing range and about to be shot. Detritus covers the desert landscape in Rosson's America. There are no people portrayed in her work, yet the people who live this landscape are present in the objects, signs, bumper stickers, and other signs of their presence. The title of the show, "The Happiest People on Earth" is another name for Disneyland. Rosson, with a sense of irony, shows the viewer that people living in this desert land are happy when they are left alone. The desert can be a lonely place. Rosson asks a questions whether true happiness can be obtained by those who do not want to be scene. Rosson explores the part of the American psyche that's part of the independent spirit of the American West, but questions its viability. Beauty, danger, and the hidden, Rosson calls attention to both the darkness and light of the American spirit.  

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Njideka Akunyili Crosby | TateShots

Drawing on art historical, political and personal references, Njideka Akunyili Crosby creates densely layered figurative compositions that, precise in style, nonetheless conjure the complexity of contemporary experience. Akunyili Crosby was born in Nigeria, where she lived until the age of sixteen. In 1999 she moved to the United States, where she has remained since that time. Her cultural identity combines strong attachments to the country of her birth and to her adopted home, a hybrid identity that is reflected in her work.